Used Ford StreetKa review and buying guide (2003 to 2005): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Ford StreetKa should you buy?

Buy the StreetKa with the soundest underside you can find, because rust is the fault that decides this car and it hits every one built between 2003 and 2005. It eats the sills, the rear quarters and the front subframe, which can corrode badly enough to come away from the body. That's an MOT failure and a safety problem, not a cosmetic one.

There's no better year to hunt for: the rust covers the whole 2003 to 2005 run, so the condition of the car in front of you counts for far more than its registration. It's built on the Ka hatchback and rots in the same places. A car whose subframe or sills have been properly repaired, with the invoice to show it, is a better prospect than one with a fresh coat of underseal and no explanation.

Which StreetKa engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

There's no engine or gearbox problem known on the StreetKa, but that's a gap in what's known rather than proof the drivetrain's tough, so don't treat it as a reason to relax. The fault that matters is structural rust and it applies to every version, so the metal underneath should decide which car you buy, not what's under the bonnet.

There's no service schedule to hold the paperwork against either, so read the bills for the jobs that do matter on this car: welding to the sills, the rear quarters or the front subframe, and any repair to the electric roof. A history that's all oil changes and no underbody work on a car this age doesn't prove it's been looked after underneath.

What should you check when viewing a used StreetKa?

Get underneath it first and look at the sills, the rear quarters, the panel in front of each rear wheel and the front subframe where it meets the body. Flaking metal is bad news, but so is thick new underseal, which can hide rot that's been patched over rather than cut out. Go through the MOT history too: corrosion advisories show rust creeping in from one test to the next.

Run the electric roof through a full open and close a few times and make sure it finishes the job every time, then look over the fabric for tears. Inside, try both interior door handles, because the mechanism behind them can fail, and pull each seatbelt all the way out and let it wind back in, as there's a report of belts folding over and jamming in the guide by the shoulder.

Ask for receipts for any subframe or sill welding. One owner's 2003 car needed about £1,200 of work after severe corrosion turned up on the front subframe, so a bill for that job is worth having. If the seller can't say why the underside's been freshly coated, don't take their word that it's sound.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Ford StreetKa cost to run?